Marsha
by John Reed
Summary: Takes place early in the 2nd season  before Kendra shows . Marsha is the new girl in school, and she sees ghosts...
1. Chapter 1

__

This is the 4th Buffy story I wrote. It takes place after "The Alliance". It mostly stands by itself, though part 4 uses a location from "When Slayers Meet".

_Unlike the others, I had this one in its original form - not corrupted at all. So here it is as it was...flaws and everything... _

_There were 3 other stories - "After the Party" (a short Xander/Buffy encounter after the episode Dead Man's Party, "The Reture" or "The Ritual" - I don't remember which (written after the death of Ms. Calendar), and "The Chosen and the Charmed" (A Buffy/Charmed crossover of which only the 1st part was finished). I don't know if the first 2 made it to Slayerfanfic archive or not, but all three were posted to the old Buffy Beta list. If anyone knows where stories for the archive or the buffybeta list may still exist online, or if anyone, for some odd reason, has any of the above, I would be very grateful if you would let me know._

* * *

_This story was written around the time of the first 3 to 5 episodes of the second season-and should be considered to occur about that time. Sorry if it __doesn't jive with the mythology after that point... _

_The main characters belong to Joss Whedon and related parties. I am just borrowing them and will return them (but it won't be for a long, long time). _

Willow

"Are you and Xander going to the Bronze tonight?" Buffy asked Willow. It had been a slow week in the Slaying game-she hadn't seen a vampire since Monday. Now she was looking for something a little more fun to do on this Friday night.

"No," Willow replied. "We have plans, but he wouldn't tell me."

"You two have plans but he wouldn't tell you? What did he do, ask you out on a date?" Buffy asked, joking. She still thought they belonged together, but also thought he would never wake up.

"Yes."

"What? And you didn't tell me?" Buffy said as dramatically as she could muster.

"You don't tell me about yours." Willow replied.

Buffy was slightly hurt. Actually Willow did know about all her dates, unless you could call those occasional meetings she managed to arrange with Angel dates, but they didn't feel much like dates to Buffy.

"Well," Buffy said, "I'm glad he finally woke up."

"What about you? Are you going to the Bronze tonight?"

"Maybe."

"You should go." Willow said. "And I'll keep Xander far away from there."

"Willow!"

"Well, no offense, but I don't want anything to distract him."

Buffy let a small laugh out. "I promise. Either the Bronze or home for me."

"Good." Willow said, smiling.

* * *

Joyce

Joyce was working at the kitchen table, early Friday evening. Usually she was still at the gallery at this time of the day. Today, however, she had brought the books home with her. She glanced up and noticed Buffy standing in a doorway, looking at her.

"What are you doing tonight, Honey?" she asked.

"I don't know, no plans really."

"You're not going anywhere with Willow and Xander?"

"They're going on a date-together. I'm sure they don't want me around."

Joyce noticed that Buffy looked a little depressed. "You should go somewhere. Maybe Angel would be at that club you like."

"Angel?" Buffy really didn't think her mother knew much about Angel or her feelings for him.

"Do you think I'm blind, Buffy? Besides, he's come here a couple of times looking for you, but you were always out."

"He came here? And you didn't tell me?"

"Funny. I never seem to be awake when you come in."

Buffy did not want her mother to pursue this line of thinking any further. She quickly tried to change the subject, or at least the person being discussed. "Maybe I will go to the Bronze tonight then. What about you? Are you staying in?"

"Don't worry about me. I have plenty to keep me busy."

Buffy had promised not to interfere, but just couldn't help herself. "Maybe you should call Giles."

Joyce looked at her. "Mr. Giles. Please show him some respect."

"Maybe you could call Mr. Giles." Buffy repeated (respectfully)

"Rupert has been around long enough to know how the game is played. If he is interested, he knows what to do."

"Mom," Buffy said, not yet ready to give up, "its the nineties."

"Yes, and I'm a single mother with a lot of work to do," Joyce said, standing up and giving Buffy a hug. "You go along and have a good time."

Buffy knew better than to say any more when her mother used the words "single mother".

"Okay, but I think he misses you." Buffy said as she left, feeling for the stake in her jacket. She wasn't planning on hunting, but it never hurt. Lately, she seemed to have been caught a little short of stakes when she needed them.

* * *

Marsha

Buffy entered the Bronze and walked idly around for a few minutes. No sign of Angel, but it was still early, she thought. Then she noticed Marsha sitting alone at a small table.

Marsha was new at Sunnydale High. Buffy, remembering herself as the new kid, had tried to befriend Marsha. Marsha was friendly enough at school, but seemed to just go straight home afterwards. But she was someone to talk with-maybe. Buffy went to her table.

"Are you here alone?" Buffy asked Marsha. She was pretty, with long, dark brown hair and piercing brown eyes. Actually, Buffy didn't think she would be alone much-or thought she would at least have a choice.

"Yes I am, Buffy." Marsha replied. "And you?"

"Yeah. Mind if I sit for a minute?"

"Please do. But don't you usually hang with Willow and Xander?"

"They're on a date tonight. And I'm left hanging."

Marsha stared at Buffy briefly. She was not the kind that would allow herself to be left hanging, Marsha thought.

"Do you come here often?" Buffy asked. Actually, she had never seen Marsha anywhere except at school.

"No, it's the first time I've come-the first time I've made it anyway."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"I was going to come on my first day in town. I started to walk here, but I got interrupted. And I think someone was following me."

"Interrupted?"

"A couple of guys started hassling me. I don't know what they were going to do, but this other guy stopped them. He talked to them. I don't know what he said, but they ran away as fast as they could. Then he walked me home."

Buffy was upset that she had such a bad experience on her first day in Sunnydale. "That sort of thing usually doesn't happen here."

"So I was told." Marsha said.

"At least you had a 'Good Samaritan'. What brought you out tonight, then?"

"My parents had to go to a business dinner, and couldn't take me. I don't like to be home alone at night. I asked them to bring me here."

"You don't like to stay home alone. Is it because you think someone was following you?"

Marsha's face reflected the concern she felt. Had she told Buffy too much? She was glad to have someone to talk to, but...

"Buffy, please don't tell anyone. If my parents found out that it has started again..."

"Marsha, don't worry. I won't say a word to anyone."

"Its just that they moved here because of me. I was so scared I couldn't do anything. I even quit going to school. They tried counselors and therapists, but that didn't help. Finally my dad was able to get transferred here. It was all he could find outside of Cincinnati. It was so hard for him and my mom, it's a wonder we're still a family. Do you know what it's like to make your family move?"

Buffy closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Marsha had heard rumors that Buffy had moved to Sunnydale because she had been kicked out of her old school, but thought that Buffy was so nice, the rumors couldn't be true.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I had heard, but couldn't quite believe it." Marsha said when she saw Buffy's reaction.

"It's true."

"Well, you should know then. I can't tell them that the same thing is happening here."

"What is it, Marsha? What's happening here."

"I'm not even sure. After that first night out, I'm afraid to go out at night again. I think I'm being followed again."

"Someone was following you before?"

"Yeah. I told my parents and a few of my friends, but no one believed me. At least not until Robert was killed."

"Robert?"

"He was my boyfriend. He walked me home after a date. They found him the next morning. " The pain was visible on Marsha's face as she recalled the event.

"Marsha, I'm so sorry. And you think it was this guy who is following you?"

"Guy, girl, I don't know. But I do think it was." Marsha looked up and saw a familiar face approaching. "It's him."

"Who?" Buffy asked, turning around. She expected to see Marsha's stalker. She saw Angel approaching.

"Buffy," Angel said. "I was hoping you'd come."

"Angel," Buffy said, smiling.

"Buffy, do you know each other?" Marsha asked.

"Oh, sorry," Buffy said, remembering her manners. "Marsha this is Angel, Angel, this is Marsha."

"We've met." Angel said. And then turning to Marsha he asked "Have you been all right, lately?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Marsha replied. "But I really haven't thanked you enough..."

"Its okay." Angel interrupted, turning his attention back to Buffy. "Have I interrupted something?"

"Kind of," Buffy said, not really knowing what else to say. She wanted to talk to Angel-she didn't get the chance to often enough to suit her. But she wanted to hear Marsha's story as well.

"Maybe we'll see each other later, then," Angel said, turning to leave.

"Angel, wait just a second," Buffy said, rising to go to him. She was not about to let this chance slip away. "Marsha, I'll be right back."

Marsha nodded and watched them, wondering what kind of relationship Buffy had with her "Good Samaritan".

"Buffy, I really didn't mean to interrupt." Angel said as she caught up with him. "You two looked like you were having quite a discussion."

"Angel, I came hoping you would come. I was just passing time with her. But I think she needs someone to talk to. Please stay around for a few minutes so we can talk later."

"Sure."

"She said someone helped her when she was being hassled by two guys. Was it you? Is that where you met?"

"Yeah, it was me."

"That was nice of you. Repairing your past again?"

"Buffy, I helped because she needed it."

Buffy was slightly embarrassed by her comment. "Of course, sorry. She says you talked to them and they ran away."

"I showed them my 'game face'" Angel replied, smiling.

Buffy smiled as well. Then she said, "She thinks someone's following her. Did you notice anyone?"

"No."

"Will you keep an eye on her for me, and maybe her house?"

"Of course." Angel replied. "Anything you want."

Buffy glanced back at Marsha, and noticed she looked uncomfortable. "I'd better go back. See you later?"

Angel smiled and left as she returned.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Marsha asked as Buffy sat down.

"I don't know." she replied, a little uneasy. "I'm kind of working on that."

"I feel like I owe him a lot."

"I feel the same way." Buffy said.

Buffy tried to pick the conversation up where it had been interrupted, but Marsha was less willing to talk Marsha had risen to leave when she saw something which obviously upset her.

She sat back down and stared. Buffy tried to follow her stare, but saw nothing.

"What am I going to do?" Marsha said to herself, but loud enough that Buffy heard it.

"Marsha, what's wrong. Do you see something?" Buffy asked.

Marsha did not respond but just kept staring. Buffy tried again a couple of times, but still got no response. Finally Marsha stood up.

"Buffy," Marsha began as she stood up, "will you go over there with me?"

"Sure," Buffy replied rising as well. Marsha was still upset, and Buffy couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Buffy followed Marsha towards an isolated corner of the room. She asked Buffy to wait just a few steps from an empty table. She then sat at the table, still looking intently into the corner, her back to Buffy. She seemed to speak from time to time, but Buffy could not hear what she was saying. Upset when she firsts sat down, Marsha seemed to be getting calmer as Buffy watched.

Angel joined Buffy. "Who is she with?" he asked.

Buffy looked at him. "Can you see someone?"

"Sure," Angel said. "Can't you?"

"Wait" he said after staring in the corner for a moment. "I guess you wouldn't be able to see him. But she can. I wonder why?"

"Angel, what's going on?" Buffy asked.

"Its a free soul, a spirit-a ghost."

"She looks pretty calm to be seeing a ghost, though she was upset at first."

"Yeah," Angel replied. "She's not afraid at all."

"Why can't I see it?" Buffy asked after a moment of silence.

"I'm not sure. It's not really my area of expertise."

Buffy sighed as she watched Marsha, apparently communicating with a ghost. Everything else she had seen which apparently was attracted to the Hellmouth-vampires, witches, demons, giant insects- all seemed to generate fear in those they met and communicated with. But Marsha was not afraid of this ghost.

Buffy watched. She felt she had to help Marsha somehow, but how?

* * *

Giles

Saturday morning in the library. Buffy and Giles were alone. They often had training sessions on Saturday, but none had been scheduled for today. Still, Giles was usually there, not having much else in his life, Buffy thought. She was glad for his consistency, though. She always had a trusted advisor handy when she needed one, like today.

"And she wasn't afraid of him at all?" Giles asked. "How odd. Did she know him?"

"I don't know." Buffy replied. "She didn't talk much when we walked her home. Its almost like she was afraid or nervous before and after she talked to him, but not while she did. I think it was the calmest she was all night."

"Angel could see him, but you couldn't?"

"Yes. Why was that? And what is a ghost anyway?"

"You can take your choice of theories on what a ghost is - the spirit or soul of a dead person who for some reason hasn't yet passed on, some sort of psychic energy left at a place where some violent event occurred. There are others. All of them may have some truth to them."

"Angel seemed to go for the spirit of a dead person."

"Yes, at least in this instance," Giles agreed. "Perhaps he could see the ghost because he was once one himself-a soul without a body."

"Maybe-but why could Marsha see it when I couldn't?"

"There are indications that the closer a person is to another in life, the more likely that they would be able to see the other's ghost. Can you talk to her? Try to find out more about it?"

"Yes, but not until tomorrow night. They've left town for the weekend."

"Now you find ghosts." Giles said, delighted to have another research project to help his Slayer. "What will you come across next?"

Buffy could see he was getting excited. "Please, just help me with the ghost."

Giles looked at her, somewhat confused. "Of course," he said, matter-of-factly.

* * *

Robert

Buffy had been hunting. She had just killed a vampire, right outside the door of the Bronze-but the street was empty. There was not even anyone watching the door. She thought this was odd, for she was sure it was not so late that the Bronze would be closed, especially on a Saturday night. She went inside.

The Bronze was empty inside as well. After walking briefly, she noticed Marsha talking to someone. She walked toward them, thinking it was strange that Marsha was here. She should still be out of town. When she got about 5 feet from them, Marsha left the other person, walking past Buffy towards the entrance, smiling at Buffy and saying "Hi Buffy."

Buffy's eyes followed Marsha until the other person said her name. He was a young man, about 18 years old. He was handsome and looked very athletic.

"Buffy," he said getting her attention. She turned from Marsha towards him. "I'm Robert."

A chill ran up her spine. "Robert? Marsha said you were..." she said, not quite finishing the sentence.

"Dead," he finished. "I am. Buffy, she needs your help."

Buffy did not answer. She now had an idea of why Marsha was calm when she was with him, but Buffy did not feel the same way. He was, after all, a ghost. She was afraid.

"Buffy please. I know who you are. I've seen you fight the vampires, the demons. I saw you with her last night. She trusts you. You are the only one she trusts. Please, you have to help her. He's dangerous, and he's not going away while they're both alive. He'd do anything to stop anyone who gets in his way. He killed me when I tried. You have to help her. Please."

"Robert, was it you talking to her here last night?" Buffy asked, finally pulling herself together enough to speak.

"It was me, but it wasn't here." Robert replied.

"Yes it was. I was with her, here at the Bronze."

"We aren't in the Bronze."

"What?" Buffy asked.

Then she woke up. She was in her room, in her bed. She sat up with a start.

Her left arm was hanging over the side of the bed. She felt a definite chill move through it. Then she distinctly heard a voice - Robert's voice from her dream.

"Please Buffy. You're all she has. Please help her."

She waited a few minutes to see if anything else would happen. Then she tried to remember what day it was. Finally she saw the time on her digital alarm clock - 3:30 AM. Sunday morning she remembered. It was all a dream.

How had he done that? He had controlled her dream and had been in her room. Now she was really afraid.


	2. Chapter 2

_Certain changes in the Buffy mythology which have come to pass since this story was written become more evident in this part. Just keep in mind that this takes place about the time of "Reptile Boy" or "Inca Mummy Girl". _

_The main characters were created by and belong to Joss Whedon and related parties. I hope I have not offended them too much with what follows: _

4 AM

Giles was asleep-fast asleep. But the phone did not stop ringing. His answering machine picked up several times, but each time, the phone rang again. Finally he answered it.

"This is Giles."

"Giles," Buffy said. He could hear the fear and agitation in her voice. "I need you to come here now!"

"Buffy, are you all right?"

"No. Please come now!"

Giles looked at a clock. Not even 4 AM. He wanted to say something about the time, but Buffy's voice convinced him not to.

"I'll be there in about 30 minutes."

Buffy wanted to complain about him taking so long, but decided she couldn't-even now. "Okay. Thanks."

Only after he hung up did she wonder if her home was the best place to meet him. She briefly considered which would be worse-if her mother woke up and Buffy was nowhere to be found, or if she woke up and Giles was there. Finally she decided that it didn't matter, Giles was coming. She decided she had better make herself presentable, but that meant going back into her bedroom, a thought she did not relish. Still, she forced herself to climb the stairs, flipping on every light switch she passed.

* * *

A Slayer's Dream

Giles was about to knock, but the door opened for him.

"Buffy," was all he could say before she pulled him into to the living room and pushed him into a chair. She flopped onto the couch.

"He was in my room." she said.

"Who?" Giles asked, having no idea who the subject of this conversation was.

"Robert. The ghost."

"The ghost your friend saw?"

"Yes."

Giles noticed the fear showing on her face. "Did he threaten you or try to harm you?"

"No." Buffy replied, not calming down.

"Why are you so upset?" Giles asked, innocently.

"HE WAS IN MY ROOM!" she yelled back.

"Buffy," he said softly, "isn't your mother still asleep."

Buffy sat back, still tense. She knew she wasn't getting the message across to him, and it bothered her.

"Giles," she spoke in a normal tone, "he was in my room, and in my dream."

Mention of her dream seemed to get his attention.

"You dreamt of him?"

"Worse. He seemed to control my dream. As if my dreams weren't bad enough already..."

Giles was concerned. Buffy had told him about many of her dreams-some of them quite unpleasant. But he knew she did not tell him everything.

"What did he do in your dream?" He asked.

"He asked for help. For Marsha."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"HE WAS IN MY ROOM AND MY DREAM!" she yelled back at him.

Giles still didn't understand, and was concerned that her mother would wake up. "Buffy, your mother..."

"And I'm tired of that, too." she said, cutting him off. "She's not stupid. How long can I keep pretending around her? Every time I say `Goodbye' could be the last time she sees me."

Giles began to see that the ghost wasn't the only thing bothering her. He tried to calm her, speaking softly. "Buffy, we've talked about this before."

"And she'll never know what my problem was or why I behaved as I did until you go to her to explain. Or will you even do that much?"

Giles knew what was bothering her now - their previous talk about a Slayer's life expectancy. But he thought she had come to grips with it - she had not mentioned it since their discussion at the end of the previous school year. Still he had known it would probably come up again. He surmised that her encounter with the ghost had triggered something. Or would she just act like this anytime something upset her.

"All I've ever wanted was to live a normal life," Buffy continued, "to have some friends who didn't think of me as different."

"Buffy," Giles replied, trying his best to stay calm, "you are so much more than normal..."

"Yes. I get to fight the losing battle against the demons. And something could happen to me anytime!" she said, cutting him off again. "Something will happen to me eventually," she quietly added.

Giles didn't respond. He knew he couldn't say anything that would help-he had tried before. She was not letting him talk anyway. The pain from the first discussion was obviously still there, felt by both of them.

"I thought Marsha could be that friend. Someone I could talk with about normal things. Now she turns out to be the problem of the week."

"The ghost asked for your help?" Giles asked, hoping this would change the subject for good.

"Yeah."

"Would you tell me about this dream?" he asked. "Who was in it besides the ghost and you?"

"Marsha was there, and a vampire I killed."

Giles sat up suddenly. "You killed a vampire in your dream?"

"Yeah" Buffy replied, curious about why he looked startled.

"Has that ever happened before? You've never told me about your killing a vampire in your dreams. Usually they are about to kill you when you wake up."

Buffy thought for a minute. He was right. "Yeah, if I'm lucky enough to wake up before..."

"This was different." She finally added.

"Was anyone else in the dream?"

"No."

"But your friend was. And she just moved here?"

"Yeah." Buffy replied, looking at Giles intently. She could see his mind churning. "What is it?"

Giles thought. A Slayer's dream was never to be lightly dismissed, especially when it was so different from the norm. And the appearance of a recently arrived girl in her dream could not be ignored. He couldn't mention what he was thinking to Buffy, not until he was sure, and certainly not in her current state of mind. She had to calm down before she heard this-if he could confirm it. He stood up suddenly.

"I need to leave. I must research something..."

"Giles no, please. Don't leave me alone here."

"Buffy," he said turning to face her, "you are not alone. Your mother is here. And from what you've told me, you have no reason to fear the ghost. I must do some research."

"Giles, what's going on?"

"I can't tell you until I'm sure, or at least until I research it. Come by the library this afternoon. I'll tell you what I find then, if I find anything."

Buffy watched him leave still wondering what he was thinking. He was much more upset than when he came, and she didn't think it had to do with the fact that she had called him so early.

What Giles said did provide her with some comfort, but she was still upset. She picked up a cushion from the couch and quietly went upstairs to her mother's room, leaving the lights on. She was grateful, as she laid on the floor near her mother's bed, that her mother was still sleeping.

* * *

Sleepover

"Buffy, Willow's on the phone!" Buffy heard Joyce call from downstairs.

"Coming." Buffy called back as she tried to orient herself. She was lying on the floor of her mother's bedroom, fully dressed. She wondered what her mother had thought, waking up to that sight. It was 8:30 AM, Sunday she recalled.

"Hi Will," she said, still tired.

"Buffy, I tried to call you yesterday, but you were never home." Willow said.

"Yeah, I was kind of busy. yesterday. Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Willow was surprised and a little upset that Buffy didn't mention her date. From her reaction on Friday, she was sure Buffy would be calling her, asking.

"Buffy, are you okay?" Willow asked.

"Sure." Buffy replied, in the tone she usually reserved for her mother when she asked the same question. Then she remembered. "The date! How was it?"

"Not really what I expected, or hoped."

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Willow replied. "Xander was so uptight, he didn't talk much. He's a much better conversationalist when we're just chumming around."

"I'm sorry, I think." Buffy said, not sure what the correct response was.

"Yeah, me too."

"But it's what a date is all about." Buffy said, trying to help.

"I just had my fantasies. And now they're blown to bits."

"Don't say that, Willow. Maybe you should ask him out now."

"Actually, I did try to once."

"What happened?" Buffy asked, surprised again at what Willow wasn't telling her.

"I don't think he understood what I was doing. Anyway, I don't really want to talk about that now. Did anything interesting happen to you Friday night or yesterday?" Willow's discussion with Buffy was not helping, so she decided to change the subject.

"Yeah. I saw Marsha at the Bronze. And I need to see her tonight. I'd like you to come, if you can. Do you have a couple of hours?"

"Sure." Willow replied hoping that whatever was going on would get her mind off of Xander.

"And," Buffy added, "how would you feel about a sleepover tonight?"

* * *

Not So Special

"She's another Slayer?" Buffy yelled at Giles. She couldn't help it. She had come to the library to learn how to deal with ghosts, not to hear this.

"I didn't say that. There's only one Slayer. You know that." Giles replied.

"What did you say then?" Buffy asked. "And, for those of us who can't read your mind, please make your meaning clearer this time."

"I said that I think, and I emphasize the word 'think', that your friend may be a potential Slayer. I think she has the birthright, but was not chosen."

"What does that mean," Buffy asked.

"There are more girls that can become Slayers than are actually chosen. When a Slayer dies, the demons do not put their evil deeds on hold while the Watcher finds and trains the next Slayer. The dark forces are often at their worst then, in their most powerful condition. The next Slayer is usually found and trained quickly. For this to happen, there is usually one or more potential Slayers on earth at the same time as the Slayer."

"She's my age. Don't they usually try to start with younger girls?" Buffy asked.

"You are neither the youngest nor the oldest girl to be chosen." Giles replied.

"I'm losing the feeling that I'm special really quickly now." Buffy said.

"What I can't figure out is why she is here-if she really is what I think she is. The Slayer has almost never been in the same location as the others with the Slayer potential."

"Almost never" Buffy observed.

"Yes. It's happened only a couple of times, that I can find a record of anyway."

"Really? What happened?"

"Well," he hesitated, then decided it would do no good to try to keep anything from her. "In one instance the situation was so bad that the Watcher put the new Slayer into action almost immediately on the death of the first one. Their combined effort put an end to the threat."

"Slayer 0 for 1. And the other time?"

"The record is lost." Giles was somewhat pleased. Buffy was calmer than he had expected. "We really don't know what happened."

"So things don't look good for the Slayer when someone like Marsha shows up." Buffy said, still reasonably calm. "Why is she here? And Robert?"

"I'm not sure. I can't relate this to any of the writings I've seen. I might understand it if she came before you killed the Master, but there's nothing that big now."

"She has no idea, does she?"

"No. And we're not sure. Were you going to talk to her tonight?"

"Yes." Buffy replied. "I was going to take Willow."

Giles suspected that she just did not want to go alone. "Maybe Angel."

"I don't know," Buffy said. "I don't want to run to him with every little problem. Besides, I think he may be around her house anyway."

"If someone knows that you're both here, or brought her here knowing that you're here..." Giles said, thinking out loud. Then he paused and added "We need to ensure her safety."

"I've already asked Angel to keep an eye on her." Buffy said, wondering if Giles was more concerned about Marsha's safety than her own. "I'll ask him again tonight."

"Well, find out all you can tonight. And you might bring her by the library tomorrow."

"Yeah," Buffy said. "I can see it now. `Hello, Marsha. Nice to meet you. By the way, Buffy's a Vampire Slayer, but she's going to die soon and you have been chosen to take her place fighting the vampires and the demons and...'"

"Buffy," Giles interrupted. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for you-having her as a normal friend. I understand. My life isn't exactly normal either."

Buffy sighed and got up to leave. "Yeah. But you don't have demons trying to kill you" she said. Then the thought of him recently hanging upside down with others, surrounded by vampires, came to her. "Usually" she added as she walked through the door. But his statement had helped. His life was different, but she began to realize that it wasn't easy for him either.

* * *

Séance?

"Marsha's nice," Willow said as they reached her door. "And we're the welcome committee?"

"Sort of," Buffy replied.

Willow wondered what she meant by that, but said nothing since Buffy was already knocking.

"Yes?" a woman asked as she opened the door. Buffy assumed it was Marsha's mother.

"Hi. I'm Buffy and this is Willow. We're friends of Marsha from school. Could we talk to her?"

"We just returned from a trip and she's tired. You should wait until school tomorrow."

"Please," Buffy implored. "I spoke with her at the Bronze Friday night and walked home with her. I really need to see her tonight. We'll only take a couple of minutes."

Marsha's mother looked at them, then finally nodded and let them in. They followed her to Marsha's room. "Marsha, Buffy's here to see you." she said as she knocked on the door. Then she left before it was opened.

"Buffy, I'm glad you came. I wanted to talk to you some more...," Marsha said as she opened the door. She hesitated when she saw Willow, then asked Buffy "Should she be here?"

"Its okay, Marsha, I trust Willow. You can too. She can help." Buffy said.

Marsha let them in her room. "Help?"

"I saw Robert." Buffy said as they sat down.

Marsha stared at Buffy. Willow did also, wanting to say something, but deciding to stay quiet.

"What happened?" Marsha finally asked.

"He asked for my help." Buffy replied.

"Help with what?"

"Help for you."

Marsha looked down and did not reply.

"Did you see him before Friday night? Did you talk to him before then, or since?" Buffy asked.

"I saw him a couple of times before then, but I never talked to him. I was always afraid to go too close to him-until you were with me."

"Where did you see him?"

"Once here, once at school," Marsha replied, finally looking at Buffy again.

"Can you get in touch with him, talk to him when you want to?"

"I don't know. I could try. I've been reading about them a little. I kind of think he comes when I think about him a lot."

The comment struck a cord in Buffy. "I was thinking about him when I went to sleep last night." she said, wondering if she had brought him into her home.

Willow was lost. Buffy had not mentioned anything about what was being discussed. She had no idea who Robert was.

"Can we try?" Buffy said. "I kind of want to tell him something."

Marsha thought for a moment, then nodded and laid down on her bed, closing her eyes.

Willow leaned toward Buffy, whispering "What's going on?"

"Please just listen and tell me what you think," Buffy whispered in reply. "I need an objective opinion on all this, someone to tell me if I'm crazy or not."

They watched Marsha, just laying there with her eyes closed. Buffy was nervous, Willow was curious.

After a couple of minutes, Buffy said, "Maybe I should get Angel before we do this."

Marsha opened her eyes and looked at Buffy. "Why?"

"He could see Robert Friday night when I couldn't." Buffy replied. "He will know if he's here, and maybe be able to communicate with him."

Marsha closed her eyes again. "I'll know when he's here and I can talk to him."


	3. Chapter 3

_Buffy, Angel, Willow, and Giles, as well as things like Vampire Slaying, the library, etc. belong to Joss Whedon and related parties._

Helping Marsha

Marsha lay completely still, eyes closed, for nearly 10 minutes. Buffy and Willow quietly watched. Willow was still wondering why she had been brought to witness this, and was becoming annoyed with Buffy who was totally ignoring her, eyes fixed on Marsha. She did notice that Buffy looked very uncomfortable.

Finally Marsha said "Hello." Buffy heard a "Hi.", and glanced around the room, but saw no one.

"Buffy," Marsha said, "he's here."

"I know." Buffy replied.

"Can you see him?"

"No. I can hear him, though."

A moment of silence followed. Buffy, not having anything else to look at, looked intently at Marsha. Suddenly she felt like an intruder, like she did not belong here.

"Marsha, can he hear me?" Buffy asked.

"Yes." Robert replied.

"Buffy." Willow had had enough. Something was up and she did not like being the only one out of the loop. "What's going on?"

Buffy forced her eyes from Marsha to Willow and spoke softly, almost as if she were afraid she would disturb the other two in the room. "Willow, it's a ghost."

"Ghost?" Willow said, more as a comment than a question, looking down. "I don't believe in ghosts. Of course, I didn't believe in vampires or demons or witches or ... Okay, a ghost." Her eyes returned to Buffy's. "Is this a seance? Should I take notes?"

Buffy smiled, then worried about Willow's mention of vampires and demons. She glanced quickly at Marsha, but saw that she was ignoring them, apparently concentrating on Robert.

"Can you see or hear anything?" she asked Willow.

"No." Willow said. She was definitely not comfortable being there, but tried not to show it to the Slayer. "Are you sure we should be here?"

"It's Ok" Buffy whispered to her, noticing the change in her disposition. Then she turned her attention back to Marsha. They had not heard a noise from her since she announced his arrival.

"Robert?" Buffy said.

"Yes."

"I will help Marsha if I can." She felt strange talking to someone she could not see. But this was what she came to do. "But please stay out of my room, out of my home. And out of my dreams."

Marsha looked at Buffy. "How can you help?"

"Marsha, Buffy's different." Robert said. "She's a..."

"Robert!" Buffy interrupted. "She doesn't need to know. And you didn't answer me."

There was no reply. Marsha continued to look at Buffy.

"Is he still here?" Buffy asked Marsha.

"Yes" came the reply from Robert. "Buffy, I was in your room, but I don't know about your dreams."

"You didn't control my dream last night?" Buffy asked.

"No." the ghost replied. "You were sleeping. I said your name a few times, then we talked."

'There goes the dream theory,' Buffy thought, then added "Well, at least stay out of my room."

"Buffy, she needs help. I had to ask you."

"Why are you here?" Buffy asked, her head resting on her hands, eyes closed. "Shouldn't you have passed on or whatever?"

"I think so." Robert said. "But I can't while I know that Marsha is in danger."

"Do you know who is following her?" Buffy asked. "Is it human or something else?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marsha interrupted. Now she felt out of the loop.

Neither Buffy nor Robert answered her immediately. After a moment of silence, Robert spoke. "He's human as far as I know."

Buffy sighed. Humans were not her favorite enemies. But didn't he know for sure?

Marsha was getting angry now. "Buffy, what are you talking about? I don't care if you two have your little secrets, but this is about me."

"Buffy, maybe you had better leave us alone now" Robert said. "I will not enter your home uninvited."

"Okay," Buffy said, rising to leave, motioning to Willow to follow. "I'd appreciate it."

She was not completely satisfied with the result of the discussion, but thought that Marsha needed to calm down before she would talk. Then she added, looking at Marsha with as kind a look as she could make under the circumstances, "We'll talk at school, okay?"

Marsha nodded, still agitated, not satisfied. Buffy and Willow showed themselves to the door.

When they were outside the house, Buffy called "Angel, are you here?" He came from the side of the house. Buffy left Willow and went to him. They whispered for a minute or two, then he disappeared and Buffy returned to Willow.

"Buffy," Willow began, "what did you tell Angel? Is Marsha okay?"

"Marsha thinks someone is following her," Buffy said as they started walking, "and the ghost agrees. I asked Angel to keep an eye on her."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I really did want an objective opinion. And your thoughts are?"

"All I heard or saw was you and Marsha. Why couldn't I see or hear it?"

"I don't know. I guess a visit to Super Librarian is in order. Tomorrow."

"Did you ask me to sleep over because of the ghost?" Willow asked. It was not a teasing question. She had seen how uncomfortable Buffy was during the entire affair.

Buffy didn't answer.

* * *

Marsha's Secrets

"What did you ask the ghost?" Giles asked Buffy. They were the only ones in the library.

"To stay out of my room and dreams. But he said he didn't control my dream-that he was just standing next to me and saying my name when I woke up."

"Really?"

"Yeah. How did he get in my dream then."

"Hearing his voice, your subconscious may have put him there yourself."

"All I need is to add ghosts to my dreams."

"I'd like to talk to him." Giles said. "There're so many contradictory and unclear writings about ghosts. There's a lot we could learn, even if he is new at..."

"Giles!" Buffy exclaimed, fearing he was on a tangent. "Remember Marsha? Stalker? Potential Slayer?"

"I just think of the opportunity you let slip by." he said, then noticing her expression, he said "Is she coming by?"

"She said she would. She should be here any minute."

"What did she do in your dream?" Giles asked.

"She just walked away from Robert, past me, to the exit."

"She walked away from you in a dream in which you killed a vampire. Hmm."

Buffy just looked at him as he thought. Then he spoke again. "And no one's seen this stalker?"

"Maybe Marsha. But she doesn't like to talk about it. Angel says he's never seen anyone. The ghost has seen him, but he isn't much help. He's not even sure if it is human or not."

At this point, Marsha walked in, obviously nervous. She sat at the table, next to Buffy.

Giles smiled, trying to help her to feel at ease. "Hello, Marsha. I hear you've got ghost problems."

"Giles!" Buffy said giving him a quick glare. Then she turned to Marsha. "What he means is that we'd like to help you."

"Buffy, I don't know." Marsha replied. "I told you I didn't want anyone to know about all this. Now Willow knows, and even the Librarian?"

"Marsha, we can help." Buffy said, "But you've got to trust us. We only want to put an end too this."

Marsha did not answer. She did close her eyes and bite her lip.

"You trust Robert, don't you?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," Marsha replied, "but you don't."

Buffy closed her eyes and exhaled. Then she looked at Marsha again. "You trust him, and he trusts me. Didn't he tell you that?"

"Yes."

"We will put a stop to this. But we need your help."

Marsha looked at her and nodded.

Buffy just had to ask one more question. "Marsha, what did he tell you about me?"

Marsha looked at her for a moment, then replied "You have your secrets. I have mine."

Giles, not liking the direction of the conversation, and thinking time was being wasted, decided to take control. "Marsha, time is short. Tell us what you know about your stalker."

* * *

Marsha's House

Monday evening. Buffy and Willow were walking to Marsha's house.

"What are you going to say?" Willow asked.

"I don't know." Buffy replied. "She needs our help, but she doesn't think we can help. I'm not sure she trusts me either."

"Why does she need our help?" Willow asked. She was feeling totally out of the loop again.

Buffy was not ready to tell Willow anything else. She had not mentioned to Willow Giles' theory that Marsha had the Slayer birthright, but was not chosen (-yet, she thought). But the possibility disturbed her, especially when Giles seemed concerned about her safety. However, she had mentioned it to Angel, since he was watching Marsha, and she wanted him to know as much as she did. But she had not mentioned it to anyone else. She wondered if she was getting paranoid about the thought of a potential replacement. She was glad they were close enough to Marsha's house that she could look for Angel.

"Angel, are you here?" Buffy asked.

Angel came to her.

"Is she okay?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. She's been in her room ever since I got here."

"And you've still not seen anyone?"

"No."

The ghost was real, and Buffy could tell that Marsha was afraid of something. Still, no real evidence.

"I'm beginning to wonder about all this..." Buffy said.

Angel nodded. He and Buffy looked intently into each others eyes for a moment. Then he said. "I'd better go back." Buffy nodded and he left them.

Buffy and Willow knocked. Marsha's mother let them right in saying "she's expecting you."

Again her mother knocked on Marsha's door and said "Buffy's here." Marsha did not answer.

"Marsha," her mother said, knocking again.

After another knock and call went unanswered, her mother opened the door. It was not locked.

All three entered the room. Marsha's mother was starting to show her concern, calling Marsha's name and looking into closets and corners. Buffy and Willow looked around the room and noticed the open window. They began to be concerned as well.

"She was here. I spoke to her just a minute ago!" her mother cried out.

Buffy looked again around the room, looking for signs of a struggle, without success. Then she thought she wasn't sure what signs of a struggle would look like.

Marsha's mother had left. Her father came to the room and said "You two had better go."

"Can we do anything?" Buffy asked.

"No. I'm sure she just went for a walk or something without telling us. She does that sometimes. But you should leave."

Buffy nodded and they left the house.

"Buffy," Willow said, trying to get her attention. Willow was nearly as agitated as Marsha's mother.

Buffy ignored her, looking for Angel. "Angel. Angel, where are you?" she called out several times.

She looked around the house several times. She didn't think this was just a walk. Besides, she knew Marsha wouldn't go out at night. Something was wrong-with Marsha and Angel. He had always just come to her when she called before.

"Buffy, what are we going to do?" Willow asked.

"I don't know," Buffy said, her head down, eyes closed, one hand rubbing her brow. Then a thought occurred to her. "If I distracted him while she was taken, I'll never forgive myself."

They both wondered to do now for a moment. Buffy thought there must be a trail left by Marsha, her abductor, or Angel. But it was dark. Even if she knew what to look for, how would she find and follow it? She decided she needed another way.

"Come on." Buffy finally said.

Willow followed. "Where are we going?"

"My room." Buffy replied, walking quickly. "We've got to conjure up a ghost."


	4. Chapter 4

_This story was written around the time of the episodes "School Hard" to "Reptile Boy", and should be considered to have occurred in that time period. The mythology has undergone a few revisions since then, but this story should be accurate for its intended time. _

_The main characters belong to Joss Whedon and related parties. The story is mine. (And I seemed to be rather enamored with the idea of Giles and Joyce. What was I thinking?...)_

Joyce

Buffy walked quickly towards home, so quickly that it was all Willow could do to keep up with her.

"You told the ghost to stay out of your room." Willow said. "Why are we going there?"

"He's our best chance of finding her," Buffy replied, still walking quickly, "and that's the only place I'm sure he's been Except for Marsha's room and that's out. And the Bronze, but I'm not doing this there."

The walked the remaining distance in silence. As they arrived at the door of her home, Buffy said "Call Giles and Xander. See if they can meet us here now. Then go upstairs to my room."

Willow only nodded. When they entered, they saw Buffy's mother.

"Hi, Sweetheart," Joyce said to Buffy.

Buffy ignored her, quickly walking directly upstairs. Joyce's eyes followed Buffy. She noticed that both Buffy and Willow were very upset. She was about to say something when Willow spoke.

"Mrs. Summers, Buffy said I could make a couple of calls. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Willow." Joyce replied, starting up the stairs.

When she reached the top, she knocked and opened the door. Buffy was lying on her bed, eyes closed.

"Buffy, are you all right," Joyce asked.

"Yes," Buffy replied, with her eyes still closed. "But Mom, please. I need to be alone for a minute."

"Are you sure..."

"Please!" Buffy said again, cutting her off.

"Well, tell me if I can do anything." Joyce said, deciding to see what she could learn from Willow.

When she arrived downstairs, she heard Willow say "Please hurry, Xander" just before she hung the phone up. Willow then turned and started walking towards the stairs.

"Willow, what's wrong with Buffy?" Joyce asked.

Willow didn't immediately answer. She wasn't sure if Joyce had overheard the phone calls and did not want to say anything.

"Buffy will explain when we get back down," she finally said, then ran up the stairs. She quietly entered Buffy's room, locking the door behind her.

* * *

The Stalker

The man laid Marsha down on the ground under a tree. Spike had made it perfectly clear - she was to be totally unharmed. It had taken him weeks to find her. He wondered if he was losing his skill, for her boyfriend noticed him, and confronted him. But he was not to be dissuaded. The boyfriend was easily handled. A mistake, perhaps, for she was on to him, and more careful. And before it was time, she moved. Luckily (or perhaps it was fate) she moved here, where Spike said he was moving. She was not hard to find, then it was only a matter of waiting until the appointed time. But when it was time, another problem-she met the Slayer. And she and her home were being watched. He thought he would not be able to bring her here on time. Then a break, a distraction caused by the Slayer herself. He was skilled, quick, effective, and she was here now. All he had to do now was to wait for the vampires. Others had been sent to bring the Slayer. Then he would have his payment.

* * *

Angel

Angel watched the man, hidden, still cursing himself for allowing himself to be distracted, even by Buffy. They were both beginning to think that something was not right, but they thought it at the wrong time. He was away from his post just a few minutes, but it was too long. Luckily, he had been able to pick up the trail quickly. He was fast in his pursuit, but the man was just as fast, always ahead. He went to an isolated area, laid her down, and waited. He wanted to somehow get word to Buffy, but couldn't leave Marsha. He had let her down once, he was not about to do it again. And if she was what Buffy said she was, he had to protect her at all costs.

Angel sized up the man. He had the face of a veteran-a hideous, disfigured faced that looked like it had seen a thousand battles, and lost them all. The rest of the man was evidence enough that he had not lost any. Angel had decided he must move, when two vampires came to the man and Marsha woke up. The man talked with the vampires, which surprised Angel. He knew that it happened from time to time, but it was rare.

Marsha did not watch with the same interest as Angel. When she awoke, she saw the disfigured man, the man whom she had caught just a glimpse of as he entered her room that night, who was so quick to subdue her that she could not even scream. She saw two others, with disfigured faces as well. She couldn't help it-she screamed. The man quickly was behind her again, had over mouth, telling her to be quiet or die. She became quiet, too scared to make further noise anyway. She closed her eyes and prayed.

Angel perceived that they would not harm her. But they were three already, and he knew he would have trouble with the man by himself. He also knew they could get more numerous. As he pondered what to do, he saw the ghost. Suddenly he was with her, unnoticed by the others. He was apparently trying to comfort her, and not succeeding. He then looked at the man and the vampires, looked around as if looking for others, and was gone.

* * *

The Slayer, the Ghost, and the Car 

Buffy was lying on the bed, one dim lamp was the only light in the room. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was nearly crying. Willow just watched as Buffy seemed to whisper to herself.

After a couple of minutes, Buffy's eyes opened.

"Any luck?" Willow asked softly.

Buffy shook her head. "God, what are we going to do?" Then closed her eyes again briefly and whispered "Please Robert."

Willow sat quietly, wondering how she could help. Then Buffy sat up.

"Damn!" Buffy said, shaking her head. Then she heard him.

"Buffy."

"Robert." Buffy said, with a sigh of relief. "Do you know what happened to Marsha?"

"He took her. The man who killed me."

"Do you know where she is?"

"No. She was able to get me to go to her, but I don't know where they are."

"Is she all right?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. They were arguing about her."

"Who?"

"The man and two others. Vampires."

"Did you see Angel?" Buffy asked, hoping Robert would know who she meant.

"I saw no one else."

Buffy wondered what happened to Angel, but there was no time to think about that. She had to find Marsha.

"Can you describe where they are? The buildings, street lights. Anything?"

"I didn't see any buildings. There were a lot of trees."

"Anything man-made at all?"

"No. But a lot of the branches of the trees were broken."

This statement struck a chord in Buffy. "Is there a stream nearby?"

"Yeah. Small."

Buffy breathed another sigh of relief. She recognized the location-where she and Angel had defeated the Slayer/Vampire. "Thank god. Can you go back to her?"

"Yes."

"Can you keep her safe until we get there?"

"I'll do everything I can."

Buffy did not wait any longer. She filled a bag with crosses and stakes, motioned to Willow to follow and opened the door. She saw her mother approaching with a rather stern look on her face.

"Buffy, Rupert and Xander are here and Willow said you would explain."

Buffy pushed Willow passed her mother and watched her go downstairs.

"Mom, I will. But I can't right now. We have to go help Marsha right now."

"Who's Marsha? Buffy!" Joyce said as Buffy ran past her, downstairs.

"Come on." Buffy said to the assembled people, giving each a cross from her bag. "We need to hurry."

"My car is just outside" Giles said.

Buffy stopped short. "Your car." She paused. "Too slow, and we would never all fit."

Giles looked at her, wondering what choice they had. Joyce was coming downstairs now.

"Mom," Buffy said, running to her, "You've got to drive us someplace. We need to get there quickly, and Mr. Giles' car is so slow."

Joyce started to say something, but was interrupted by Buffy. "Mom, remember what you said about sleeping better knowing how I act in a crisis. This is a crisis. We need to go now."

Joyce looked at Buffy and the others, then nodded. "I'll bring it around to the front."

"Thanks." Buffy said, running to the front door. As soon as she stepped out, she was attacked by a large vampire. She managed to throw it off and get a stake while yelling for the others to go back inside. They did not argue.

Buffy's biggest fear as she fought the vampire was that it was not alone. She managed to stake it without much difficulty, then looked for others, but could not see any.

As soon as the car was pulled up front, Buffy herded Giles and the others into it, watching for trouble.

"Buffy," Giles said as he was about to enter the car, "If they have her, and are sending others after you, going to where she is may be the worst thing we can do."

"Have you got a better idea?" Buffy said as she pushed him inside. "She needs help."

As soon as his door was closed, she started to run to the other side of the car. She was interrupted by a vicious pull of her hair pulling her head back to expose her neck. She could feel the vampire coming to bite, but just managed to block its mouth with her arm. It bit her just below her left wrist. She made a fist with her right hand and managed to hit the vampire squarely in the face, causing it to release her arm and stunning it. The hand then reached into the bag for another stake and found the vampire's heart before it could react.

Xander saw the wound as soon as she sat in the car, but she managed to signal him to stay quiet, then gave her mother directions.

The wound required attention. Xander removed his shirt (he still wore a T shirt) and began cutting with his pocketknife and tearing strips of cloth from it, which Buffy accepted gratefully. She cleaned the injury as well as she could with the dry cloth, then used another strip to create a bandage and another to tie it on.

This activity was noticed by all in the car, including Joyce who said "Buffy!" and slowed the car down.

"Mom, please," Buffy said. "I'll be okay. We've got to get there as soon as possible."

Joyce sped up again.

* * *

The Double Cross

The man did not trust the vampires. He waited behind a small campfire, near his prize, for the other vampires, the ones that were to bring the Slayer. He had dealt with vampires for years, and felt he could tell when they were not living up to the agreement. He felt that now was such a time. Still, he trusted Spike.

Two others came. One acted as if, and was treated by the other three as if he were in charge. The man walked towards him.

"Why is she still alive?" the vampire asked when close enough to be heard, pointing at Marsha. "She is no use to us."

"Spike said he wanted her alive." the man replied. "He wants both her and the Slayer alive."

"The Slayer is dead. I sent two to kill of her."

The man couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Dead? You were to bring her alive. And you sent only two?"

"Spike said he killed two Slayers by himself. Two vampires can handle one Slayer..."

"If Spike said that, he is a braggart." The man interrupted. "He has never attacked anything by himself, and is certainly not stupid enough to attack a Slayer by himself. And the deal was for both to be alive."

"Spike hates her," the vampire replied. "All he can see is the look on the Slayer's face when she is killed." it added, pointing again to Marsha. "He wants her to suffer before she dies. All we want is for them both to be dead. When it happens, and when the others find out who did it, they will no longer follow Spike."

The vampire then spoke to another. "Kill her. We will take care of him." That vampire went towards Marsha, the others toward the man. Marsha screamed again, then, not knowing what to do, turned her back towards the fight and closed her eyes.

Angel realized that the time had come, and attacked the vampire moving towards Marsha. Their leader, hearing the noise told the others to help it. He continued towards the man.

The man was relived. He wasn't sure he could fight three, but knew he could fight one. He was no Slayer, but he had fought many vampires-one at a time. It came with the job.

The fight began. The man fought with the skill he had developed over the years, trying to take the fight towards the fire. Then something changed. He felt a distinct chill through most of his body. Moving seemed to remove it, but it always came back. It was distracting him at a time when he could not afford to be distracted.

* * *

Robert

Robert was aware, as always, of the light which was constantly nearby-and that he should be moving towards it. He knew he shouldn't be staying so long. But he couldn't go, not while Marsha was in danger. And it seemed to be coming to a head now. He had talked to Buffy, and was sure she was coming, but was it too late? When he was back with Marsha, he recognized the danger. She was protected by the fire for now, with Buffy's friend fighting several vampires on the other side. Then he saw that his murderer was fighting another vampire, and saw the chance for revenge. He did not know how to use his bodiless form, but he knew the reaction he got when walked through a person. He walked to the man who was fighting for his life, and passed through him again and again.

It worked. The man, though skilled, was distracted enough that the vampire got the fatal bite to his neck. Then it began to feed. Robert decided to see if he could help Angel. It was still four on one.

* * *

Buffy

As they arrived, Buffy leaned towards Willow, in the seat in front of her, and whispered, "Keep my mother here, and if you see any more vampires, have her drive away." Willow nodded, knowing better than to argue with Buffy when she was in "control mode".

Buffy led Xander and Giles into the trees, running quickly towards the area she hoped Robert had described to her.

When they arrived in the grove, they saw four vampires. One was feeding on a man (apparently Robert's murderer). The other three were fighting Angel who was between them and Marsha. Marsha was lying on the ground, curled up, eyes closed.

"Giles, see if she's okay!" Buffy yelled as she staked one of the vampires from behind.

She the grabbed two stakes from her bag. As the other two both turned towards Buffy at the same time and attacked, she tossed a stake to Angel. Xander stepped between one vampire and Buffy, cross in his outstretched arm. Buffy fought the other. Her injured arm was not as useful as usual, but she was able to adjust-as long as there was just one, she thought. The vampire feeding left its meal and ran towards Buffy, but ran into the stake held by Angel.

Giles found Marsha unhurt, but crying. He tried to comfort her. As he was joined by Xander, Giles looked up and was relieved to see that the two remaining vampires were being handled by Buffy and Angel.

"Is she okay?" Xander asked.

"She's fine...physically," Giles replied.

Xander looked back to Buffy. She had apparently staked her vampire, and was going, stake in hand, to help Angel who was fighting without a stake. He looked around but couldn't see anything else in the light provided by the small fire.

"We should get her out of here," Xander said. "There may be more."

"You're right." Giles replied. "I think she can walk. And our escort is coming."

"How is she?" Buffy asked as she walked towards them.

"Fine." Giles said, as he helped Marsha stand up. "We should get out of here as soon as possible."

"You and Xander go and see if my mom and Willow are okay. We will follow as soon and as fast as we can."

Giles and Xander left. Then Buffy noticed both Marsha and Angel looking at one spot in front of them.

"I've got to go." she heard Robert say.

Marsha, weakly standing, closed her eyes and bit her lip.

"Marsha," Robert said. "It's over. You're safe. I've got to go now."

Marsha did not look, but nodded.

"Until you join me, then." Robert said. "And thank you two." The ghost turned, without waiting for a response, and walked towards the light.

Angel watched the ghost. Buffy put her arm around Marsha. "Are you okay?"

"I've lost him twice now." Marsha replied softly, eyes still closed.

"We've got to go." Buffy said. "There may be more. Can you walk?"

Marsha nodded, opened her eyes, and started walking away from Buffy.

"I'll walk with her," the Slayer softly said to Angel. "Cover our back?"

Angel nodded as Buffy sped up catch up with Marsha. She again put her arm around her and led her to the car.

As they saw the car, Xander and Giles came out and led Marsha, while Buffy stopped and waited for Angel.

"We haven't got room for you, or her." Buffy said.

Angel looked at her arm and shook his head. "This was my fault. It should not have happened."

"I share the blame. I distracted you. My arm will be fine, and Marsha is safe." Buffy replied.

"I should have known. He was sent to get her, vampires to kill you. I should have seen it coming."

"It's okay."

"Do you still think she's..." Angel said, finishing the question with a look.

"After tonight, I don't think there's any doubt." Then after a moment of just looking at him she added, "The car was full without you or her. I need to ride with her. Someone will need to walk with you."

"Xander." Angel said.

"You two still don't get along."

"I've fought beside him a couple of times. We may need him again. I won't hurt him."

Buffy smiled, and walked towards the challenge waiting in her mother's car. Xander was standing outside of the car.

"Xander," she said as she reached him, "There's really not room for you with her here. Giles and I need to be with her. Angel will walk home with you."

"First my shirt, now this," Xander complained jokingly. He understood, and he really didn't mind being with Angel that much (but he wanted to be sure that Buffy knew he was doing her a favor).

"I'll replace the shirt" she said, smiling as he turned to walk towards Angel.

As she sat in the back seat of her mother's car, Marsha laid her head on her lap. The trip to Marsha's home was made in silence, except that Buffy would occasionally lean and whisper something to Marsha.

* * *

Spike

Spike arrived with payment for his hunter. He was dead-killed and fed upon by a vampire. No sign of any vampire, the Slayer or the other girl with the birthright-the girl he had spent a fortune to find. Only the dying embers of a small campfire. Spike thought he could piece to together what had happened.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," he muttered as he left the meeting place.

* * *

The Potential and the Chosen

Marsha went early to school Tuesday, and waited outside for Buffy. Buffy was hoping to be able to talk to her alone, and was glad to have an early chance.

"You OK?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know what to say," Marsha replied. "You and your friends risking your life for me. I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't need to. We're just glad you're safe."

"I've never had friends like that."

Buffy was flattered. She felt close to Marsha and wanted to stay that way. "You had Robert."

Marsha smiled-the first smile Buffy had seen on her for a long time. "Do you think it is over?"

"Yeah." Buffy said. She hesitated before asking "Do you want to talk about what you saw."

Marsha's smile disappeared as she shook her heard. "Maybe later." she said softly, almost in a whisper, rising to enter the school.

"Anytime." Buffy said. "And let me know if I can do anything else for you."

"I think I'm the one who owes you," Marsha said as they entered the school.

* * *

Talking to the Dead

Buffy entered the library Tuesday afternoon, during a class period. "Cutting again" Giles thought. He understood, but it had to change.

"How's the arm?" he asked as she sat near him at the table.

"It's okay," Buffy said. "It hurt when mom cleaned it, but it's not infected. It should be fine soon."

"Good."

An uneasy moment of silence followed, broken by Buffy. "Mom asked a lot of questions. I still couldn't answer them. I think she's losing her patience now. I don't know how much longer..." She did not finish.

"And Marsha?"

"She wouldn't talk when she went inside her home. She just told her parents she took a walk, and got lost. I guess it has happened before and she wasn't hurt, so I think they believed her. I talked to her a little today. She's grateful, but I guess she's just not ready to talk about what she saw yet. And I still don't know if Robert told her what I am or not."

"And you?"

"It's worse. Now I know that if I make a mistake, it's not only my life, and whoever I'm trying to protect, but that she could be next. She might have to do this. And I don't want anyone else to have to go through this."

"I know."

Buffy looked directly at him. "Do séances ever work?"

"What?"

"Is it really possible to talk to someone who's died?"

Giles paused. "I've never read a reliable account of one that worked. Why?"

Buffy sighed. "Sometimes I just want to talk to another Slayer."

"You've dreamt of them, and you did talk to one."

"The vampire that had been a Slayer? Angel was right-I saw the demon, not the Slayer. And the dreams have all been unpleasant and are not the same thing anyway."

"I just want to talk to one," she continued after a moment "to know if she felt the same as me when she found out who she was. What she felt when she first confronted a vampire. How she dealt with her family. If she had friends that helped her. If she ever wanted it to all stop and to just be normal. If she fell in love. If she was able to have any normal relationship at all."

"If I come across anything that might work, I'll let you know," Giles softly replied. Buffy slightly smiled.

The bell rang. She stood to leave.

"And, I suppose," she said as she arose, "seeing you with Ms. Calendar, I'll have to give up on you and my mom."

Giles forced a smile, "Buffy, when you mother is ready, there are a lot of men of the right age out there. Good men."

"Yeah," Buffy said as she walked out the door. "But there are not a lot of you."

_**The End **_


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